Real Food Makes a Difference – Fake Food Makes Obesity

I was a child of the fake food revolution. Healthy food and traditional cooking, have been replaced with the convenience and advertised on T.V. as a sexy new way to feed your family. Right out of a scene from Mad Man, my childhood was filled with TV dinners, cupcakes in foil packets and happy meals. As the years went by, the face of nutritious meals changed to an unrecognizable flurry of giant sized meals of pizza, fries and desserts.

Advertising has also fed us, they feed us lies which have succeeded into the epidemic of obesity and self-loathing. They put a slim beautiful model on the hood of a car, smashing a giant burger into her mouth, they tell us soda makes us cool, booze makes us popular and they convince us we need the latest flavor of the newest food. But do we? How long will we let ourselves be duped?
To begin our journey back to reality, is to determine what reality is. The very basics of food, is so simple that it seems it must be wrong. But simplifying food is the key. When we bring food to its basics, we can then see clear through the flurry of confusion. Below are the basics of what makes food, “real food” or “fake food”.

Real food
1. Rots within a week
2. Comes from a plant or animal
3. Minimally processed
4. Can be eaten with very little prepping
5. You can pronounce all the ingredients

Fake food
1. Lasts a long time
2. Has been manufactured and packaged.
3. Mass produced
4. Comes in a box
5. Fancy advertising

So why does it matter? Well, let’s assume you enjoyed a meal at a local restaurant or pre-made food from the grocery store like Costco. The amount of salt, sugar, fillers, chemicals and fat they add, to make it taste adequate because of the low quality of food, is incredible. They also, add preservatives to allow the food to sit out all day. And all that to consume food that is limited in quality and nutrition. No wonder you feel too tired to cook and still hungry. Your body is waiting for nutrition. Look at the ingredient lists of pre-made foods, it is mind blowing to see the long list of what should be 5 or 6 ingredients.

What is even more mind blowing is what those ingredients really are, you may have heard
of pink slime, wood fillers and other unsavory ingredients that are commonly put into our pre-made food.

So, this is the part that you say, but Rain, I don’t have time. Of course, I realize making all your food homemade is not always feasible. Going out, can be fun, and of course I go out , too. But we have a problem if going out is our “norm”. If most of the time, you are selecting real food, you will be healthier and slimmer for it.

Make home cooking a reality by simplifying it. Food prepping has gotten a lot of traction lately, and rightly so. I encourage everyone to consider that. Also, there are plenty of ways to prepare food once or twice a week, and make enough to have meals for the whole week. You save money and you get better nutrition.

Also, there are instant cookers and air fryers and all sorts of new gadgets if you are into that. But, most importantly; Eat Real Food. It doesn’t take much to cut up carrots and celery into a salad or a soup. In the beginning making your own food seems daunting, but, once you find your favorites and master them, you will see that your weight will improve, and you will feel healthy and strong with plenty of energy to feed the family and go for a walk after!

Simple is the new chef secret!!

About the Author

Rain Hampton, WLSFA board member, had weight loss surgery in 2004 and lost 125 pounds which she maintains. Since her weight loss, she has spent years in bariatrics with several Center of Excellence facilities and surgeons. She focuses on Real Food and Real Living topics to help successful outcomes for every patient. She also teaches healthy cooking classes at Mira Costa College and other locations. You can see her Instagram at #realfoodrain

NOTE: The Weight Loss Surgery Foundation of America is a 501(c) 3 Nonprofit Organization. We have earned the Guide Stars Platinum Seal of Transparency. The WLSFA is a 100% Volunteer Organization with no paid executives or staff. We are fellow weight loss surgery patients, paying it forward since 2010.

Questions? Please contact the WLSFA at 415-234-9074 or email us at info@wlsfa.org

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Obesity is a disease not a lifestyle

"As the WLSFA.ORG National Ambassador of HOPE, I have been honored to give back and help others get the medical treatment they need. Until the medical treatments for the disease of obesity are no longer stigmatized and considered elective, I will champion this cause and save lives one grant at a time. Won't you join us?" ~ Carnie WIlson